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Science & Environment Writer, Photographer, & New Media Editor

Selected Writing

I always had two paths in mind: When I was 8 I wrote on a school assignment, “When I grow up, I want to be a scientist. When I grow up more, I want to be a writer.”

That’s exactly what I did, graduating with a BS in Geology from Syracuse University, and then working as an environmental geologist. Later, I pursued writing. I wrote a food column and covered regional transportation issues for my local alt-weekly, and went on to write about air pollution, health, and other science topics early in my career. That led me to reporting on the environmental and human health impacts of consumer products , especially fashion, for the website I founded, Eco-Chick.com. My book, the Eco Chick Guide to Life, was based on the award-winning site.

After working as a writer and editor for 7 years (including a stint writing screenplays for HBO and CBS—on Mars and the power grid, respectively), I joined Columbia University’s Master of Fine Arts program for nonfiction writing, from which I graduated in 2011.

I’m now a full-time freelance science writer for magazines, a columnist for MNN.com, and I work on social media projects for sustainability nonprofits. I also write fiction and memoir. Below are some of my more recent selected writings.